Out of Reach (25 page)

I find myself somewhat relieved by Hal's
explanation, and glad to know two days from now a bunch of Sylph
won't suddenly be flying around wrecking havoc. I contemplate the
“what ifs” that still concern me.

What
does
happen when a Sylph gets out?
How would the Wanderers know if one has escaped? And, most
importantly, what would they do about it? Preparing to barrage Hal
with another round of questioning, I notice a lone rider on a black
horse making his way toward the driver-side window. At this
distance, with all the Wanderers covered in headdresses to protect
them from the harsh elements of the desert, it’s hard to tell
exactly who approaches. My breath catches in my throat as the
unidentified man sidles up to Hal's window on his horse. Drawing
aside the white fabric covering his face, Zafrir grins
mischievously and my reflex to breathe kicks in, flooding my system
with sweet oxygen.

Through the use of some sort of rudimentary
sign language, Z communicates something to Hal who nods and flashes
him the thumbs up sign. Trotting off, Z quickly becomes lost in the
parade of horses lining the crest of a particularly small dune.

"We're almost there," Hal announces
enthusiastically. As we slowly rumble to the top of the hill, the
horses part, giving our vehicle a wide berth. A valley with a
monstrous ravine breaks below us.

"There," Hal points, indicating our path
into the heart of the ravine itself, but whatever splendor or fear
I should feel at the site of Essam, where it all began, is
temporarily lost on me. Unable to drag my gaze away from the proud
pageantry of the majestic riders, my heart flies with them as they
gallop across the sands, completely at ease, thundering through the
terrain as if this is what they were bred to do.

“Essam means safeguard,”
Hal says, pulling me from my reverie.
Safegaurd,
I can’t think of anything
more fitting.

Chapter 33

You know you're missing a whole lot of
something when the contingent of men you're traveling with gather
reverently around the mouth of a cave, and that cave looks just
like all the rest. We are the last to arrive given the slow speed
necessary to negotiate the ravine by truck. Hal and I climb down
and join the others at the mouth of the cave.

"Welcome to Essam," says Adil.

As I stare into the dark depths of the
monstrous natural cavern, I pray for that awe-inspiring feeling
everyone around me seems to be sharing, but despite all I know
about this place it remains just a cave to me.

Slapping me on the back Z steps forward,
reading my mind. "You were expecting something a little more
sparkly, weren't you?" he laughs. Truth be told, I don't know what
I was expecting but, no, this was not it.

"Alright, everyone. Get to work." Adil's
booming voice resonates effectively, snapping everyone into
action.

Leaning close, Hal whispers in my ear, "This
place has never looked like much—it’s what happened here that marks
it as special."

Stepping aside to avoid being knocked over,
I watch Bass and a pair of guys whose names I can't remember cart
several portable generators into the cave. "I thought you said this
place used to be your headquarters?" I ask Hal.

"It was," he replies, watching me eye the
supplies being carted into the cavern. "We've preserved this place
in its original form for thousands of years. No human inventions or
modern renovations have been incorporated into it. We bring what
few modern conveniences we need along with us when we happen to
visit."

Great
, I think to myself as Hal wanders back to the truck to help
unload. Finding a semi-comfortable rock across from the entrance I
sit and watch the guys’ progress, wondering where Kade has
disappeared to. It doesn't take long to get the generators up and
running, and soon the warm glow of fluorescent lighting spills from
the mouth of the cave. With the lights comes a happy go lucky Z who
beckons me to follow him inside. Sliding from my perch I stumble
after the large Wanderer.

"The whole place is a natural tunnel system,
linking a series of large caverns together," Z tells me as we walk.
Sure enough the main passage dumps us into a huge rectangular room,
a bit like a lava tube with many smaller passages breaking off from
it. The bulk of our supplies are making it into the center of the
main chamber, but Z drags me along, clearly having a different
destination in mind for us.

"Okay, I'm coming!" I yell shaking my arm
free of his grip. I laugh when the tall Wanderer has to duck in
order to traverse our next passageway.

"Here are your sparkles," he tells me as we
exit the short tunnel into another monstrous cave.

"Whoa," I exclaim straightening to my full
height. This room is roundish and large shelves have been worn into
the surrounding walls. Glistening mineral spheres of every size and
color imaginable line these shelves, coating the cavern from top to
bottom. Zafir raises his lantern and the whole room shimmers, the
patterns covering the orbs coming to life as they catch the light.
I glance about, dizzy. Never have I been in the presence of such
terrible beauty.

Gripped by a sudden claustrophobia I jump
back a step, then another, only to have my escape cut short when I
run into the wall. I panic, worried the impact will start a chain
reaction that rains evil down upon us. Strong arms embrace and
confine me, which only increases my anxiety and my struggles.

"You're safe," a velvety voice whispers, but
I continue to wiggle, desperate to free myself and flee this place.
Kade's arms never let go, supporting me through my fight or flight
response until enough adrenaline has been metabolized and
eliminated from my system for my brain and higher reasoning to take
over. What I'd originally mistaken for the wall was Kade's chest. I
hadn't really run into anything and not a single sphere had been
disturbed.

"I'm alright," I tell Kade. His posture
relaxes, releasing me to me own devices once more. A shocked Z
stands ten feet away, not sure what to do. "Did I wet myself?" I
ask him sarcastically, knowing Z will appreciate the poorly timed
humor as much as I will right about now.

"Fuck, you scared the shit out of me,
woman," he says, visibly relaxing.

"This place is overwhelming," I reply.

"Come on, let's go explore the boring
places," Kade announces, leading us back through the hobbit sized
passage from which we came.

True to his word Kade's portion of the tour
was boring, unless you appreciate stalagmites and stalactites. Then
I'm sure it was fascinating, but I'm not that girl. The highlight
for me was the discovery of our sleeping arrangements for the next
two nights. Individual caves. The dormitory, as the guys call it,
is a fair sized tunnel with small cubbies cut into sides at about
ten foot intervals. Each miniscule cave has a stone bunk and carved
shelves for storing personal items. A curtain rod and heavy drape
stretch across the doorway of each room, providing both privacy and
a way to keep the heat in at night.

They do not in any way, shape, or form block
out sound, something I learned the hard way when Z announced we
were going to be neighbors and began trying to communicate with me
via Morse code through the wall. The ensuing pillow fight, which I
won I might add, shut him up nicely.

Unrolling the sleeping bag and pillow Kade
had procured for me I take a minute to stash my overnight bag and
the few essentials I've brought on a shelf. The place is quite cozy
I suppose, if you like camping, which I don't. Still I marvel at
the Wanderers abilities and the power it must have taken to work
even this small wonder into solid stone. I run the heavy material
of my door through my fingers and then sit on the bed, too amped up
to sleep.

Twice I think about leaving to find someone
to talk to, but I hesitate at the last second. The guys are
exhausted and have earned a much needed respite; besides where
would I go and whom would I seek out? Rubbing my stiff neck I try
to unwind.

"Knock, knock,” Kade's voice pulls me from
my musings. Drawing the drape aside I find him standing shirtless
in a pair of black warm-up pants outside my door. "I thought you
might like some water to brush your teeth, and I wanted to be sure
you remembered where the bathroom was."

"Thank you, and I'll never forget the
bathroom," I tell him. In fact, after experiencing the stone
outhouse, complete with a bottomless pit for waste disposal, I
think I'll be holding it for the foreseeable future. Chuckling, he
hands me the water bottle and turns to go.

"Kade," I implore.

"Yes," the rich timbre of his voice is thick
and inviting.

"Never mind," I sidestep any conversation,
defensively putting a wall up between us as I draw the curtain
closed.

"Good night, Gwen," he breathes.

Turning down my lantern I shudder before
climbing into bed and forcing myself to sleep, effectively putting
an end to the day.

With so little light it’s impossible to tell
what time it is when I wake. I could have been asleep for eight
hours or two, who knows. Stumbling out of my cubby, I lightly tread
over to Zafir's hole for an answer.

“Z,” I whisper as loud as I dare, not
wanting the sound to echo and wake the others. Cold and impatient I
try again. “Z!” Exasperated I peek around his door only to discover
no one’s inside.

Well, that answers
that
, I reason and hot foot it back to my
cave to clean up. I make efficient use of the last of my water to
brush my teeth, wash my face, and hydrate my body, which seems
perpetually thirsty in this place. Donning clean clothes I pull my
hair up and out of the way before trekking around to look for the
others. I make slow progress on purpose, not wanting to trip in the
low lighting. I follow the sound of the generators until I reach
the main cave.

Breakfast is in full swing when I arrive.
Several of the guys are cooking bacon and brewing what smells like
coffee over a large camp fire. Although I don’t see Kade I assume
everyone must be up and meander over taking a seat next to Basal.
Scooting over to share his rock he offers me coffee and a plate of
food, which I gratefully accept. I begin eating voraciously.
Wrapping my fingers around my mug I sit back when I finish eating,
soaking in the warmth from the fire, stuffed. Bass notices my empty
plate.

“Wow, that was fast.”

“What? I was hungry,” I say shrugging my
shoulders. Z’s booming laughter cuts through the cavern from where
he’s grilling by the flames.

“You didn’t even stop to chew,” he teases
me, the noise from his outburst capturing the attention of several
of the others.

“Says the guy who can’t even spell
‘etiquette,’” I blurt out, not really caring what anyone else might
think. Since he’s naturally full of himself my sarcasm just bounces
off and we continue to trade insults for several minutes. Not
putting up with Z's shit wins me a few fans and soon our circle
expands to four. A battle over the best comeback quickly ensues
with Z bearing the brunt of the attacks. Genuinely laughing for the
first time in many days I embrace the easy-going camaraderie that’s
begun to sprout between the Wanderers and myself.

"If her mind’s as sharp as her tongue, the
Sylph don't stand a chance," says Makeen.

"Think fast!" Rashid shouts, lobbing a can
at me. An instant before the thing smacks me in the face a hand
flashes out of nowhere snatching it from the air.

"Gwen isn't as connected to her power as the
previous Nephilim who've helped us," Kade interjects, glaring at
Rashid a second before tossing the can back to him. Rashid just
stares, dumbstruck; nobody says a thing. The cave becomes as silent
as a tomb and I'm left wondering just what it is I should've
done.

"I think now’s a good time to remedy that,"
Adil announces coming into view from the mouth of the cave. Cocking
my head to the side I cast an inquisitive look at Kade, questioning
just what this means for me.

"Gwen, it’s time for you to learn just what
you can do," Adil tells me as he strides right up to our group. Two
parts excited, one part nervous I nod along.

“Okay,” I say with a confidence I don’t
totally feel.

“I’m sure Kade has told you the types of
things your ancestors were capable of. Today we need you to connect
with that part of yourself,” Adil informs me.

This guy knows I’ve only
used my powers twice, right?
I think to
myself.
And neither time I knew I was
doing it.

Standing up I dust my hands off on my jeans.
“Great, let’s get started.”

“Follow me,” says Adil. A small group of us
traipse along behind him as he disappears into a side passage. A
few minutes later we spill out into the cavern Z and I visited
yesterday.

“These are the Sylph we’ve collected over
the generations,” Adil’s voice echoes around the vast space. “The
resealing will take place here tomorrow.” The room with its
frightening beauty still makes me feel small and insignificant, but
I harden my resolve, adopting an air of cool indifference. I have a
job to do. Adil ushers us on to another cave, which is completely
empty except for a portable generator, flood lights, and a few
chairs.

“Gwen, this is Hashim,” says Adil,
introducing me to the quiet stoic Wanderer I hadn’t even realized
until now was a part of our group. Eyeballing this stranger warily,
I shake my head.

“Can’t Z help me?” I ask knowing he’s a lot
more my style with his quick wit and foul language than the man of
few words standing before me.

Chuckling Kade steps forward and explains,
“No, this sort of thing calls for finesse, a quality Zafir most
certainly does not possess.” Grinning sheepishly Zafir meets my
gaze and we have one of those nonverbal exchanges that speak
volumes. His gunmetal grey eyes admit that, yeah, this ain't his
specialty. In the end I’m forced to admit Kade's right and don’t
force the issue any further.